Pastor Sabelo Dladla leads the Heavenly Grace Church in KwaNdengezi, Durban, South Africa. The church is located in a rural area on the edge of a ravine. Heavy rains in 2022 and again in 2023 caused the old church building to collapse. When Paul Stanley (Carson Oaks Community Church, Stockton, CA) and I (Scott Soden) arrived at the church, Pastor Frank led us down the narrow, winding trail, past small homes, to Pastor Sabelo's home on the edge of a steep ravine. The church, a testament to resilience, was only partially rebuilt using prefabricated concrete slabs typically used to line highways. Stronger than wood, these slabs stand as a symbol of hope and endurance, ready to face any future challenge. Mount Olive Brethren Church (McGaheysville, VA) joined with Carson Oaks and others to contribute a new concrete floor to fortify the structure's foundation and a new corrugated steel roof, coated to prevent rust, to shield against rain and sun. This church building is home to a congregation of 40 to 50 local area residents who meet on Sundays for worship and throughout the week for outreach and evangelism. The church also holds weekly children's programs essential to the community's life. Although most of the community lives far below the poverty level, Pastor Sabelo and his wife often offer relief and help as they are able, and the whole community tries to help one another as the Lord has given to them. This is a powerful reminder of the impact of our prayers and our partnership with the Brethren in South Africa, India, South America, and indeed worldwide. Your support, generosity, and prayers have been instrumental in bringing about these life-changing results and transformations. We are deeply grateful for your continued support and prayers. Scott Soden Global Partners Coordinator

Over the past nine months, I’ve had the honor of serving as a mentor in this year’s cohort of the Thriving in Church Ministry Program. Thriving in Church Ministry is a program that aims to help participants identify new ways – or refresh old ways - of developing self and soul awareness. The cohort met in person in August and April and had bimonthly virtual sessions in between. In addition to some valuable teachings to develop a few more skills, there are opportunities for individual mentorship, which was my favorite part, both last year as a participant and this year as a mentor. We tend to get caught in our regular circles of Brethren pastors or pastors from our home communities, and when our contact with the world is limited, our picture of the Kingdom of God can become too narrow. It is important that we broaden our experiences and enrich our relationships by sharing and interacting with our brothers and sisters from different areas. This year’s cohort had people from Ohio, Virginia, Michigan, North Carolina, and California, as well as diverse denominational and ethnic backgrounds. This afforded a great breadth of thinking and exposed all of us to new ways of praying, thinking, and understanding one another and the challenges we face in ministry. “I loved getting to know pastors from other places and loved learning from their different experiences. This was a great way to refocus as I moved forward in the ministry,” said Reverend Melanie Wylie, who pastors Liberty Brethren Church in Quicksburg, VA. “Entering a program like this is hard for me. Getting to know myself privately is one thing. It’s another to share with others. In this program, I was able to open up and share with others, and I met with an awesome group of pastors that I now think of as friends. In the end, I believe I have a greater sense of how to thrive in ministry as a child of God who serves in ministry,” said Brethren Elder Gail Heiston, pastor of Bethlehem Brethren Church in Harrisonburg, VA about her experience. I personally appreciated the commitment to spiritual formation, the creation of a safe environment for weary pastors to be themselves, and the opportunities afforded participants to add tools to their tool belts while finding ways to apply those new skills in their own contexts. It was a joy to edify and encourage these church leaders on their journey of self-discovery and personal growth, and I look forward to the fruit that will surely follow their labor. Visit the TCM webpage to learn more about the Certificate in Thriving Church Ministries at Ashland Theological Seminary and how you can be encouraged and strengthened in your ministry. Miles Larson Director of Pastoral and Congregational Vitality

Sunday, May 5, 2024, was a fabulous God-filled day at Liberty Brethren Church. We had three planned baptisms and one surprise baptism. Michele Dean and Lori Foltz both came to the Lord at a young age but wanted to renew their commitment to Christ by being baptized in water. They were proclaiming the work and change that Christ has made within their lives. They came hand and hand into the baptismal as sisters in Christ to share with the world how much they love Jesus! These two ladies share their testimony of faith in their community every day and now before us all by being baptized. Also baptized was Aidan Cruggs, a student at James Madison University, who grew up in a Catholic tradition. It was a big morning for Aidan as he also became a member of Liberty Brethren. He has been attending church with us for a little over a year, and in that year, Aidan fell in love with Jesus. Aidan explained, "After learning so much about Jesus' teachings and how to live by His example, I felt that it was finally time to solidify my relationship with Christ." Aidan was surrounded by his new church family with rejoicing and praise to God! During the time of our baptisms, the Spirit of God kept moving; I gave an invitation to everyone else who might have felt it was time for them to step into the water and be baptized. When I gave the invitation, a young man named Ethan who is just eight years old, jumped out of his seat with his hands in the air and proclaimed he was ready. With permission from his parents, Ethan was baptized with his confession of faith, with the biggest smile on his face. He had been waiting for this day, and he listened as God called his name. This was our third baptism service since 2020. It is clear that God is moving within the doors of our little church. There is never a dry eye at the end of our baptism services. It is an honor and privilege to serve God alongside Liberty Brethren Church. Melanie Wylie Pastor, Liberty Brethren Church

On April 9th, over 20 pastors gathered at North Manchester for a time of encouragement and dialogue about their local ministries in their local Brethren churches. The day started with some simple and intimate worship led by Tom Schiefer, who reminded us that God can hear all of our prayers at once, which is a common way for people in other cultures to pray. Miles Larson then led those gathered through a time of celebrating one another, reminding us that we have a responsibility to encourage one another in the hard work of ministry, both with urgency and consistency, as the writer of Hebrews shares. Before moving into a time of identifying some of the significant local challenges we are all facing, elders shared a meal and discussed resources, books, and other tools that we use to inform our ministry, how we’re continuing our education, and staying committed to sharpening ourselves in ministry. In the final part of the meeting, Steven Cole gave an update on several efforts of The Brethren Church on the national level and many ministry developments to celebrate. Following that, about half of the pastors gathered went to golf on a beautiful spring day in Indiana. Our time together was encouraging and refreshing. There is much to celebrate in the continued efforts of The Brethren Church in the Midwest!

On April 20th, over 25 pastors, leaders, and families journeyed through the picturesque countryside of Bedford County, Pennsylvania, to spend a day of shared experiences, fellowship, prayer, and worship at Raystown Brethren Church. This event marked the Northeast Region’s fourth Missions & Ministry Day, and it was a powerful day for all involved. After a welcome time of coffee and donuts, the parade of awe-inspiring ministries began. Al Chamberlain, pastor of Raystown Brethren Church, started with a devotional word to remind us of the importance of having a vision and trusting God’s voice when we hear from him. Following that, Bryan Miller from Valley Brethren Church talked about how the “Seeds to Harvest” funds that the Northeast has made available to support the starting of new ministries are already proving fruitful in their community. The archery ministry that was started at Valley is blessing the children and adults in the community in surprising and powerful ways. Miles Larson, Director of Pastoral and Congregational Vitality, shared some of the exciting things coming out of the vitality office nationally, including the partnership with web company Postmodern Pulpit, the Brethren Pastors’ Orientation in June, the Certificate in Pastoring Transitions that will launch in September with Ashland Theological Seminary (ATS), and more. After that, Ben Frank, pastor of New Hope Church in State College, told stories of changed lives from their ongoing prayer ministry on Penn State’s campus and how a simple, consistent commitment to obediently position ourselves for service can bring transformation to desperate people. Scott Soden, Global Partners Coordinator, shared about his incredible 24-day trip around the world, traveling to the Philippines and South Africa. During the trip, he and several other Brethren Elders and pastors were able to gather, fellowship, and even ordain the first group of Brethren Elders ever in South Africa. He also unpacked some of the excitement about the new vision statement and how this is already shaping the future of The Brethren Church. Finally, TJ McLaughlin, Northeast Regional Resource Coordinator, and Richard Ringler, Director of Camp Peniel, rounded out our time with some camp updates and regional discussions specific to the Northeast. Perhaps most powerful was the time of worship and prayer after lunch. The Holy Spirit was heavy with the people gathered there as they sang and prayed. The Northeast Region Mission & Ministry Day is just one of the regularly scheduled opportunities people in the Northeast have to gather and fellowship in celebration and support of the works to which God is calling his people.

On Saturday, April 20th, beautiful Camp Bethany hosted a reunion of campers who slept there in the tents in Camp Bethany's earliest years! Those in attendance camped way back in 1959, the very first year that Camp Bethany hosted overnight campers. Some of the tent campers were ‘there’ via Zoom! Many brought in photos and other memorabilia from their camping days to share. Everyone had an opportunity to share their name, what Brethren Church they attended when they were campers, and a memory. Of course, much more was shared, tears were shed, and God received all the glory! Reflecting on the day, here’s a text from one of those who attended: “I can’t stop thinking about Saturday and just what a wonderful time I had. It was so very special in every way. . . . When I saw the invitation, . . . I had no idea what a wonderful time was in store for all of us; so many warm memories.” Sherry (Barnhart) Van Duyne and Sherry (Shannon) Fabian led us in singing some of the old camp songs! We remembered the Camp Bethany cooks and enjoyed a delicious lunch made by Paula Strickland. The names of many of those who volunteered as Camp Staff were mentioned. Ken VanDuyne gave a very interesting and informative presentation about Camp Bethany's early history, showing us pictures of the Camp in its earliest days! Following that, the Camp Board provided information about the many ways to support Camp Bethany, including IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, wills or bequests, retirement plans, investment accounts, life insurance, and more. Kenton VanDuyne, Camp Director, served as photographer for the day. We want to acknowledge that the Camp Bethany Board members & the North Central Region Leadership Team of The Brethren Church cooperated together to sponsor this event, and we extend a heartfelt thank you to both Camp Bethany and the North Central RLT. If you have questions, please get in touch with me, Lynn Mercer, who thoroughly enjoyed planning this Reunion (937-441-9771 or class_of73@yahoo.com ). We thank God for bringing each one of us to Camp Bethany when we were younger & we thank God for bringing us together for a great day of celebration! As a promotional article stated prior to the camp's dedication in 1959, “(This is) an ideal place to worship God. . . . We can rest assured that many will find Christ as Savior here.” True! True! True! Lynn Mercer Pastor, First Brethren Church of West Alexandria (OH) North Central Regional Leadership Team

Brethren excel at community. Traditionally, Brethren emphasized a tight-knit community as an alternative to the corrupt world. During Threefold Communion, or Love Feast, the height of the Brethren church year, members demonstrated their commitment to the faith community, especially through feetwashing. The early Brethren were an intense, intimate community. The old Brethren, however, did little to enhance community in the larger society, which they considered soaked in sin and best avoided. They even steered clear of the temperance and abolition movements although they philosophically agreed with them. But later generations of Brethren became more active in the world. The branch of the German Baptists that evolved into The Brethren Church pushed the Dunker envelope on contributing to the global community, especially through temperance, mission, and, later, disaster relief. Enhancing the larger community became part of the faith journey. Thus, the old Brethren built community from within, and newer Brethren added an outward, activist perspective. Combining the two gives Brethren a special talent for community-building. Contemporary society needs the Brethren sense of community. The strains on our social fabric are painfully obvious. Pessimism, for example, has often become the default response, especially among young people. They are gloomy about their future, think that society is stacked against them, and consider success increasingly unattainable, often because outside forces suppress their aspirations. They feel alone, and whatever community they recognize, they consider hostile. From another perspective, we have become a society of angry, aggrieved minorities. Almost everybody, even many white people, regard themselves as a member of an oppressed subgroup. Some define Americanism so narrowly that they exclude numerous groups, while others come close to rejecting the concept completely. Surely, many minorities have legitimate concerns, but a countervailing commitment to American society has all but disappeared. On and on. Everybody has their favorite instances of an unraveling society. I hesitate to offer more examples, for surely almost every one will offend someone. The challenge, then, is to bring the Brethren sense of community to the larger society. True, we cannot change the world by ourselves, but normally that is a positive. When powerful individuals send seismic shocks through society, it’s usually bad -see Vladimir Putin. The call, then, is not for individual Brethren to single-handedly change the social trajectory but to keep their little corner of it clean and orderly. Do what we can in our own way. A friend has been organizing Sunday afternoon community programs at a public library for over ten years. She reasons that “if I can get my neighbors together once a month to talk and enjoy a program together, maybe it will help us see our community and neighbors as ‘people of value.’” Recently, a prominent liberal pundit (Mara Liasson) and a well-known conservative (Jonah Goldberg) appeared shoulder-to-shoulder at my home institution, Bridgewater College, to make the point that we can disagree with civility. But rather than supply quick suggestions, let me challenge Brethren to develop their own strategies. Pastors, give your congregants a list of concrete steps they can take to heal our society. Along with basic theology be specific. No bromides. We may not get Congress to work, but we can brighten the corner where we are. In sum, society needs us. Admittedly, the inward-looking old Brethren are a poor blueprint for ministering to the world, but their skilled community-building nevertheless inspires us. They treated all within the fellowship with love, respect, and equanimity. Later generations more aggressively applied this to the larger society. Hence, with a deep tradition—first inward, then outward—Brethren know community. May we share it with a world that needs us. Steve Longenecker is Professor of History, emeritus, at Bridgewater College (VA).

Praise God for all the fantastic blessings he pours down on his people! Sunday, March 24 th, marks a significant day of praise and celebration as the Brethren Church in the Philippines officially launched a brand new church plant in the community of Caypombo! Pastors Rolly and Efren both set up new leadership in their previous churches so they could concentrate on this rapidly growing community. In fact, the church launched in Pastor Rolly’s own covered garage area. The opening day began with the inaugural message by The Brethren Church in the Philippines Executive Director, Gary Castro. It was punctuated by tons of praise, laughter, and joy as families gathered to participate in this new ministry! Our new church is not just a building but a community filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. The people and the community are being transformed, and it's not hard to imagine that they will quickly outgrow their current location. Let us all pray that the spirit continues to use them to impact the lives of the community for Christ in miraculous ways!  By Scott Soden Global Partners Coordinator

Easter is such a critical time for the church. Not only do we celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus for our sins, but it’s also an incredible opportunity to share our faith with the world around us. In India, the season of Lent begins a 40-day period of significant prayer and fasting, during which many lift the needs of their neighbors, friends, and the world before the throne of grace. Each morning, groups of men and women come to churches throughout the region to pray and hear the word proclaimed. Lent is a serious time for your brothers and sisters, too. They pray for you and lift you in prayer as well. Each year during this season, many are convinced that Jesus is Lord and make a significant decision for themselves that will have profound implications here on earth and in eternity. This is especially important to note because once a Hindu chooses to profess faith in God and God alone through Jesus, his son, they take all other idols out of home and heart. This can lead to shunning, persecution, and even death, especially when their statement of faith is followed by entering into the waters of baptism. A decision to follow Jesus is never taken lightly. This year, we have the profound joy of announcing that at least 21 new brothers and sisters have joined the family! On Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, the services of your partners at the churches in Rajahmundry and Visakhapatnam, India, served not only as a call to the world that Jesus Christ is King but also marked that fact with baptisms. Hallelujah! Praise God! Please keep your partners in India in prayer as they continue to serve the Lord with unwavering dedication and perseverance. They are witnessing lives being transformed daily through the power of prayer and the Holy Spirit. Despite the high levels of persecution in the country, their spirit remains unquenched, serving as a beacon of hope and inspiration for us all. By Scott Soden Global Partners Coordinator